Marvel: Is Phase 4 Of The MCU Really The Worst Yet? – Comment

• The fourth phase of the MCU is currently relatively difficult for fans. But is it really worse than the previous ones?
• Movies like “Thor 4” and “Doctor Strange 2” split the spirits, but why is that?
• The fourth Marvel phase has the difficult task of being the aftermath of “Endgame” and at the same time starting the next “Avengers” film.

With “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has recently released rather controversial films that have divided fans. “Black Widow” and “Eternals” couldn’t really convince the fans either, which can be seen in fan and critic portals.

Only “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” seem to be universally popular. We don’t even have to start with the Disney+ series, MCU viewers are overwhelmed, don’t know where the MCU is going and gradually the thought creeps in that Marvel Phase 4 is the worst yet.

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But is it really like that? We don’t think so – but there are clear reasons why fans are beginning to feel this way. Luckily, San Diego Comic-Con 2022 fixed a few things by announcing a doubles finale to the Multiverse saga with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Marvel: That’s why Phase 4 of the MCU is underrated!

The “Avengers” double pack does not start until 2025 and represents the finale of phase 6. Phase 4 will end with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the end of the year. Without knowing about “Secret Wars”, many of the films and series from Phase 4 do not seem to be related.

That’s a problem Marvel fans have never faced before. In the first phase it was clear since the first “Iron Man” movie that it would lead to an “Avengers” movie, after the first “Avengers” movie Thanos was already announced as the main villain.

In the second MCU phase, new characters were introduced, the infinity stones were established and Thanos was also examined more closely by “Guardians of the Galaxy”. With “Avengers: Age of Ultron” a second team-up of the Avengers was finally shown before phase 3 finally started the finale!

“The First Avenger: Civil War” sowed discord between the Avengers, “Black Panther”, “Doctor Strange” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” introduced new pro players and then in the grand finale it came to a close “Avengers: Endgame”. So what is the purpose of Marvel Phase 4?

After such a massive finale as “Avengers: Endgame” you have to calm down first. The remaining heroes have to gather, the MCU has to be deconstructed in a way so that something new can be built. What can currently still be interpreted as a lack of planning will certainly soon be brought together.

The MCU introduces one new hero after another through the Disney+ series. The post-credits scenes promise many different stories and few fans know how to piece it all together into one big whole. But we can sit back and wait. It will surely all make sense soon!

With “Avengers: Secret Wars” there is an event that will be even bigger than “Avengers: Endgame”, and good things take time. It’s clear the MCU has a plan. Everything leads somewhere. But as a fan, you don’t have to immediately classify every scrap.

Marvel: Is the quality of the films in phase 4 worse?

Opinions about films are always subjective and never objective. Still, it’s safe to say that Marvel Phase 4 isn’t necessarily inferior in quality to the other phases. Rather, it can be said that the MCU is breaking new ground that doesn’t always work out.

The more controversial films are “Doctor Strange 2”, “Eternals” and “Thor 4”. All films were directed by directors who have clear characteristics and an unmistakable signature. The films are less Marvel and more work by Sam Raimi, Chloe Zhao and Taika Waititi.

This sets the films apart from the “classic Marvel formula” that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” tend to follow. And it turns out: The two films are rated the best by fans from Phase 4. (This is not to say that Shang-Chi and Spidey are any worse films than the others because they follow a formula!)

Marvel is deviating from how they’ve made their films so far, and that’s a good thing! Little by little, fans will certainly warm to it, too, because Marvel cannot follow the same formula of superhero films for years. You have to evolve and until the MCU finds a new tone it’s going to be a little more experimental.

You can find out which Marvel projects will start next in our overview of the new Marvel releases. Disney+’s New Arrivals launches She-Hulk: The Lawyer starring Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk later this month.